Orlando's Taste of the Nation is one of the many fund-raising events held throughout Florida to benefit Share Our Strength, an organization that helps to feed the hungry. Well-designed food stations and exciting ice sculptures helped to differentiate this event from other benefits.
Event planner and co-chairperson Bill Sullivan of I Wanna Distributors Inc. worked closely with the Second Harvest Food Bank and the host venue, the Walt Disney Swan & Dolphin Resort, to design the look of the main room. The Walt Disney Swan & Dolphin Resort supplied staging, lighting, audiovisual production, and even created the V.I.P. area. "We are fortunate to have been able to work with this capable group of people at the Dolphin," Sullivan said. "Even better, they have agreed to hold the event here again next year."
More than 30 restaurants brought their chefs and cuisine to the Dolphin's ballroom, where they each set up representations of their eateries. Guests nibbled on delicious dishes from the Walt Disney Swan & Dolphin Resort in-house restaurant Todd English's Bluezoo, which put on an elaborate presentation with multiple ice sculptures, a water wall, a dessert display made of spun sugar, all done in-house, and a raised DJ platform complete with trussing and decor designed and put together by Hello Florida. Pebbles Island Grille brought in a yellow vintage pickup truck to showcase, and Timpano Italian Chophouse, which shared a space with other E Brand Restaurants Samba Room and Salsa Taqueria & Tequila Bar, offered a huge mountain of summer strawberries to dip in a Godiva chocolate fountain. Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center served Diver scallops with truffled Peruvian potatoes and pistachio but even better was the 3- by 3-foot square, signature ice sculpture created by Wizard Connection. Aquaknox Global Water Cuisine also displayed a cool ice sculpture, which was underlit with blue light.
Other cool booths included Ice Kingdom's, whose booth resembled an old-fashioned ice cream cart and contained tasty alcoholic ice pops in a variety of flavors including "Appletini", "Mar-go-Rita", and "Pinata Colada". Ristorante Tuscany at the Orlando World Center Marriott, whose chefs cooked in a traditional wooden library setting; Sheraton World Resort, which converted its space into a spice-colored Moroccan hideaway; and Walt Disney World Spoodles, which used bread in its signage and as a basket to hold promotional literature.
—Shari Lynn Rothstein
See our coverage of Tampa's Taste of the Nation benefit…
See our coverage of Ft. Lauderdale's Taste of the Nation benefit…
Event planner and co-chairperson Bill Sullivan of I Wanna Distributors Inc. worked closely with the Second Harvest Food Bank and the host venue, the Walt Disney Swan & Dolphin Resort, to design the look of the main room. The Walt Disney Swan & Dolphin Resort supplied staging, lighting, audiovisual production, and even created the V.I.P. area. "We are fortunate to have been able to work with this capable group of people at the Dolphin," Sullivan said. "Even better, they have agreed to hold the event here again next year."
More than 30 restaurants brought their chefs and cuisine to the Dolphin's ballroom, where they each set up representations of their eateries. Guests nibbled on delicious dishes from the Walt Disney Swan & Dolphin Resort in-house restaurant Todd English's Bluezoo, which put on an elaborate presentation with multiple ice sculptures, a water wall, a dessert display made of spun sugar, all done in-house, and a raised DJ platform complete with trussing and decor designed and put together by Hello Florida. Pebbles Island Grille brought in a yellow vintage pickup truck to showcase, and Timpano Italian Chophouse, which shared a space with other E Brand Restaurants Samba Room and Salsa Taqueria & Tequila Bar, offered a huge mountain of summer strawberries to dip in a Godiva chocolate fountain. Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center served Diver scallops with truffled Peruvian potatoes and pistachio but even better was the 3- by 3-foot square, signature ice sculpture created by Wizard Connection. Aquaknox Global Water Cuisine also displayed a cool ice sculpture, which was underlit with blue light.
Other cool booths included Ice Kingdom's, whose booth resembled an old-fashioned ice cream cart and contained tasty alcoholic ice pops in a variety of flavors including "Appletini", "Mar-go-Rita", and "Pinata Colada". Ristorante Tuscany at the Orlando World Center Marriott, whose chefs cooked in a traditional wooden library setting; Sheraton World Resort, which converted its space into a spice-colored Moroccan hideaway; and Walt Disney World Spoodles, which used bread in its signage and as a basket to hold promotional literature.
—Shari Lynn Rothstein
See our coverage of Tampa's Taste of the Nation benefit…
See our coverage of Ft. Lauderdale's Taste of the Nation benefit…